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EDWARD BRANDOS & CO., 

114 FIFTH AVINUe, NEW YORK. 

COPVRiaHT 1»»3. 



SOUVENIR 
OF Trie 

MONASTERY OF LA RABIUA, 

WoftLo'i Fair aROUNBS, 
• HICAflO. 



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\^L.etter of Cohonbus: to Nicolo Oderigo, March 21, IS02.'] 



Sir 



The solitude in which you have left us cannot be described, 
I gave Micer Francis de Ribarol the book containing m^' deeds 
(or grants, or concessions), and, also, copies of the letters and mes- 
sages sent to me ; and, I pray you, as a great favor to me, to 
write to Don Diego and inform him of the place in which you 
keep those documents, and the use you make of them. A dupli- 
cate of all of them will be made, and sent to 3'ou in the same way 
and through the same channel of Francisco. You will find there 
a new concession. Their Highnesses promise therein, as you will 
see, to give me all that belongs to me, and put Don Diego in pos- 
session thereof. I have written to Micer Juan I^uys, and to 
Madam Madona Catalina the letter I enclose. I .shall start out, 
in the name of the Most H0I5' Trinity, with a good equipment, 
at the first moment of good weather. If Jerome de Santi Estebau 
comes, he must wait for me, and not to commit himself to au}'- 
thing ; because they will try to get out of him all that they can, 
and afterwards thej'- v/ill leave him in the cold. Let him come 
here, and the King and Queen will entertain him until I come. 

May our I^ord keep you in His holy guard. 

Done on the 21st of March, at Sevii,LK, 1502. 
I am, for what you may order, 

Your servant, 

X. M. Y. 
XPO FKRENS. 






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[ORIGINAL IN THE CITY HALL, GENOA.] 

With this letter Coliinibns encloses to Oderigo [who, as the ambassador frojn 
his native place to Spain, liad been his friend and protector] copies of all his 
letters, patents, grants, titles, privileges, etc., received from the Sovereigns o} 
Spain, authenticated by the Alcalde of Seville. Because of his declining years and 
increasing doubts of the justice of the King, he places these documents in the 
hands of a trustee for the benefit of his family, and asks Oderigo to apprise his 
son, Diego Columbus, of the fact. 

These documents lay unknown in the Oderigo family until 1870, when they 
were discovered and placed in the Archives of Genoa. They are now in the Cus- 
todia or monument there, and have been published, together with a memoir of 
Columbus, by D. Gio Battista Spotoruo, I'rofessor of Eloquence in the University 
of Genoa. 



LETTER OF 

CHRISTOPHER COLL'MBTL^S 

TO 

THE CATHOLIC KINGS* 

0>' THE 

RECOVERY OE THE HOLY CITY OE JERUSALEM. 
(Thf origins! i'. in the Rook of Prophf-cie? in the Colombiua Libtai y at Seville ) 



Most Christian and High Princes : 

The reason why I desire the restitution of the Holy Hon.?? 
lo the militant church is the following : 

Most High Kings: 

At a very early age I began to navigate the seas, and have 
f\f,r since continued to do so. The art of navigation itself 
renders its adepts inclined to investigate the secrets of this world. 
More than fort}' years have i:>a''-'^t;d since I have been in this 
habit. Every place which has been thus far navigated by others 
li;is been also navigated by me. I have dealt and talked with 
karned people, both Laymen and Kcclesiastical, Greek and 
Latin, Jews and Moors, and Sectarians of many other creeds. 
To this aspiration of mine I always found the Lord very pro- 
pitious. He gave me an intelligent spirit; He made me abun- 
dantly qualified for the office of a sailor ; He caused me to know 
nil that sufficed for my purpose of Astrology, Geometry and 
Arithmetic ; and I received from Him the gift of having ability 
in my mind and my hands to draw a sphere and mark on it — 
everything in its ])roper place — the cities, rivers, mountains, 
islands and ports. 

During the time referred to I have been careful to study 

what has been written on Cosmography, History, Chronicles, 

Pliilo.soph}'- and other arts ; and it was in this way tliat our 

I,nrd, whose hand in this affair I palpably sec, put in m\- mind the 

idea that it was practicable to navigate from here to the Indies, 

and kindled in my heart the desire to accomplish it. Urged by 

this fire, I came before Your Highnesses. 

(over) 



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First part of an autograph letter of Columbus to the Catholic Kings (p. 4). 



Every one who heard of my undertaking laughed at me and 
denied its soundness. Neither the knowledge I possessed of the 
sciences aforenamed nor their own intrinsic authority was of any 
avail to me. Only in Your Highnesses I found faith and per- 
severance. Who doubts that this light came to Your Highnesses, 
as it had come to me, from that very Holy Spirit who so loudly 
and clearly has given consolation to the world, by means of the 
wonderful rays of light emanating from the Holy and Sacred 
Scripture, in 44 books of the Old Testament, and the 4 Gospels 
and 23 Epistles of the Blessed Apostles. Was not that Spirit the 
one who urged me to go on constantly, without stopping a 
moment, and is still urging me, and hastening my steps ? 

Your Highnesses must remember how little money Your 
Highnesses could dispose of when the Siege of Granada was 
undertaken. The determination to undertake all things was left 
by our I^ord to the free will of every one of us. He gives admo- 
nition to many ; but he denies to none the human power which 
he may need to engage in the undertaking. Oh ! the goodness 
of the Lord, who wishes the people to do those things which will 
prove to be to their own advantage! Day and night, and at all 
moments, men should be thanking Him with the greatest 
devotion. 

I said before that many things contained in the prophecies 
have not been fulfilled as yet. And I say now that they are 
great things, and that according to all signs our Lord is hasten- 
ing its fulfillment. The preaching of the Gospel in so many 
lands, in such a short time as we have lately seen, proves that 
to me. 

Cardinal Petrus de Ayliaco writes much about the end of 
the Mahometan sect, and the advent of the Anti-Christ, in a book 
which he wrote with the title (in latin) "On the Harmony of 
Astronomic Truth with the Historical Statements. ' ' He refutes in 
that book the opinions of many astronomers on the ten revolu- 
tions of Saturn. This he does especially at the end of said book, 
in the last nine chapters of the same. 

Abb6 Joachim, of Calabria, said that the one who was to 
rebuild the house of Mount Sion would come from Spain. 



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Last part of an autograph letter of Columbus to the Catholic Kings (p. 6). 



\Letter of Colimibtis to the Bank of St. George, April 2, 1302.'] 

High, Nobi.e Lords : 

Although the body walks about here, the heart is constantly 
over there. Our L,ord has conferred \\\^on me the greatest favor 
ever granted to any since David. The results of my undertaking 
already appear, and would shine greatly, were they not concealed 
by the blindness of the Government. I am going to the Indies 
again under the auspices of the Trinity, soon to return ; and, since 
I am mortal, I leave it with my son Diego that you receive every 
year, forever, one-tenth of the entire revenue, such as it may be, 
for the purpose of reducing the tax upon com, wine and other 
provisions. If that tenth amounts to something, collect it. If 
not, at least take the will for the deed. I beg you to entertain 
regard for the son I have recommended to you. Mr. Nicolo de 
Oderigo knows more about my own affairs than I do myself, and 
I have sent by him the transcripts of my privileges and letters 
for safe keeping. I should be glad if you would keep them. 
My lyords, the King and Queen endeavor to honor more than 
ever. May the Holy Trinity preserve your noble persons and 
increase the most magnificent House (of St. George). 

Done in Sbvii^lR, on the second day of April, 1502. 

The Chief Admiral of the Ocean, Viceroy 
and Governor General of the islands and 
continents of Asia, and the Indies, of my 
Lords the King and Queen, their Captain 
General of the Sea and of their Councils. 

S. 
S. A. S. 
X. M. Y. 

XPO KERENS. 




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Copy of the letter of Toscanclli to the Portuguese priest Ferdinand Martiues, 
made )>j Cohimlnis on a fly leaf of the book " Historia reruni ubiquc gestarum," 
etc. 



\_Lctter of ColumbHs to Nicolo Oderigo, from Seville, December 2y, 
1504.. Original in the City Hall at Genoa.'] 

Virtuous Sir : 

When I started on my voyage to the places from where I 
have just come, I spoke at length with you. I understand that 
3-ou remember well all that then was said. 

When returning here, I was in hopes to find some letters 
from you, or some niessenger who would tell me verbally some- 
thing in your name. 

At al)out the same time of my departure from here, I sent tn 
you by Franci:;co de Ri])arol a book containing copies of several 
letters, and another in which all the grants and privileges given 
me were also copied, the whole enclosed in a red-morocco case, 
with a silver lock. I also sent, with the same man, two letters for 
the St. George gentlemen, in which I assigned to them the tenth 
of my revenue in consideration of and compensation for the re- 
duction made on the duties on wdicat and the other supplies. To 
nothing of this I have had any reply. Micer Francisco says that 
ever}thing arrived safely. If this is the case, the failure of the 
St. George gentlemen to an.swer to my letters is an act of discour- 
tes3% for which the treasurj^ is by no means better off. This is 
the reason why it is generally said that to serve common people 
is .serving no one.* 

Another book of my privileges, equal to the one above men- 
tioned, was left by me at Cadiz, with Franco Catanio (who is the 
bearer of this letter), with instructions to send it to yon, in order 
that you would keep it, together with the other, in some safe 
place, at your discretion. 

At the time of my departure I received a letter from the 
King and Queen, my Lord and Lad>-. It is written there. Look 
at it, and you w'ill find it very good. Nevertheless, Don Diego 
was not given possession, as it was promised. 

While I was in the Indies, I wrote to Their Highnesses, 
through three or four channels, about ray voyage. One of these 
letters came back to me, and sealed as it was. I enclose it in this 
and send it to you. In another letter I enclo.se also a supplement 
to the above description of my voyage, and I pray you to give 
both to Micer Juan Luis, to whom I also have written and said 
that you will be the reader and interpreter of the said letters. 



* "Quien sirve a comun, no sirve a ningun.'" 



I am anxious to hear from you, especially about the plan 
which we agreed to. 

I arrived here very sick, and at about the time in which the 
Queen, my Lady (whom God has with Him), died, and I could 
not see her. 

Up to the present, it is impossible for me to tell you what 
will be the practical result of all my doings. I suppose that Her 
Highness has properly provided in her will for everything con- 
cerning this matter, and the King, my Lord, always gives good 
answers. 

Franco Caianio will verbally explain to you, at length, all the 
rest. 

May our Lord keep you in His guard. 

From Seville, December 27th, 1504. 

S. 
S. A. S. 
X. M. Y. 

XPO FERENS. 
Great Achniral of the Ocean, 

Viceroy and Governor-General of the Indies. 









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